20090324

Tiumpan Head (Scottish Gaelic:Rudha Tiompan) lighthouse in the village of Portvoller in Point, Isle of Lewis, was long promoted as an idea but refused for a long period by the Board of Trade. It was approved in May 1879 after a recommendation by the Western Highlands and Islands Commission to additionally keep a watch on illegal trawlers.

The estimated cost of the lighthouse and building was £9000. It was designed by David and Charles Stevenson, and John Aitken was the contractor. William Frew was appointed as inspector of works. Chance Brothers made the optics and the revolving machine was made by Dove and Co. The light was first exhibited on 1 December 1900. There was a complement of six lightkeepers attached to the station, three lightkeepers and their families at the station and a local assistant and two occasional lightkeepers coming in from Portnaguran village nearby.

Queen Elizabeth II along with Prince Charles and Princess Anne visited the lighthouse in 1956 when the seven year old heir to the throne sounded the first blast on a new fog siren. The fog signal was operated by compressed air supplied from a compressor, which was driven by a Kelvin Diesel Engine. There were three Kelvin engines and compressors, and when the fog signal was in operation, two of them were in service to maintain the required air pressure with one standby, in rotation.

Tiumpan Head (Scottish Gaelic:Rudha Tiompan) lighthouse in the village of Portvoller in Point, Isle of Lewis, was long promoted as an idea but refused for a long period by the Board of Trade. It was approved in May 1879 after a recommendation by the Western Highlands and Islands Commission to additionally keep a watch on illegal trawlers.

The estimated cost of the lighthouse and building was £9000. It was designed by David and Charles Stevenson, and John Aitken was the contractor. William Frew was appointed as inspector of works. Chance Brothers made the optics and the revolving machine was made by Dove and Co. The light was first exhibited on 1 December 1900. There was a complement of six lightkeepers attached to the station, three lightkeepers and their families at the station and a local assistant and two occasional lightkeepers coming in from Portnaguran village nearby.

Queen Elizabeth II along with Prince Charles and Princess Anne visited the lighthouse in 1956 when the seven year old heir to the throne sounded the first blast on a new fog siren. The fog signal was operated by compressed air supplied from a compressor, which was driven by a Kelvin Diesel Engine. There were three Kelvin engines and compressors, and when the fog signal was in operation, two of them were in service to maintain the required air pressure with one standby, in rotation.